U.S. and Allies Launch Offensive to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran Conflict

• On March 20, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon's request for $200 billion in extra funding, stating 'it takes money to kill bad guys'. • The request supports ongoing U.S. offensives, including jet patrols and helicopter strikes against Iranian forces in key waterways. • Funding comes amid surging oil prices from Iranian attacks on facilities, prompting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to propose lifting sanctions on Iranian oil.

• An Air Force F-35 stealth fighter jet was hit by enemy fire during a combat mission over Iran, with sources confirming the pilot is now in stable condition after ejection. • The incident highlights risks to advanced US aircraft as the US-Israeli air campaign enters its third week, targeting Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure. • Israeli PM Netanyahu claimed on March 19 that Iran has lost all uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capacity due to sustained strikes.

• President Trump met Japan's prime minister on March 20, fielding questions from Japanese media on why allies were not warned before US strikes on Iran. • Meeting occurs as US redirects focus to Middle East, potentially weakening joint priorities with Japan on trade and security issues. • Discussions highlight differing US-Israel goals in the conflict, with Trump denying plans to deploy ground troops.

Lawsuit alleges university violated civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people in aftermath of war in GazaThe Trump administration renewed its assault on Harvard University on Friday, filing a lawsuit in Massachusetts alleging the Ivy League institution violated the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli people in the aftermath of the war in Gaza.The lawsuit, shared publicly by the New York Times, accuses Harvard of allowing anti-Israel protesters to operate on campus “with impunity” following the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Gaza and Israel’s massive military response. Continue reading...

Gwyn Samuels, who committed crimes as James Bubb, befriended both victims online befriended both victims onlineA Metropolitan police officer who raped a girl and a woman after “systematically” grooming them both online has been jailed for 24 years.James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, first sexually assaulted the girl when she was just 12 years old after befriending her online in 2018, the trial at Aylesbury crown court was told last year. Continue reading...

Mediahuis suspends Peter Vandermeersch, who says he ‘fell into trap of hallucinations’, after investigation by newspaper where he was once editor-in-chiefThe publisher of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and the Irish Independent has suspended one of its senior journalists after he admitted using AI to “wrongly put words into people’s mouths”.Peter Vandermeersch, the former head of the Irish operations at Mediahuis, said he “fell into the trap of hallucinations” – the term for AI-generated errors – when using the technology. Continue reading...

Move follows the granting of a worldwide asset freezing order on company’s founder, Paresh RajaWhat is the £1.3bn MFS mortgage scandal and what is private credit?The UK’s financial regulator has launched an investigation into Market Financial Solutions (MFS), the mortgage lender that collapsed last month amid allegations of fraud.The move follows the granting of a £1.3bn worldwide asset-freezing order on MFS founder Paresh Raja on Wednesday, as creditors successfully gained court orders in London and Dubai barring the tycoon from dissipating assets. Continue reading...

Peter Coates’s family welcome end to years pursuing answers after he died when outage stopped oxygen machineA family has welcomed a coroner’s conclusion that ambulance delays possibly contributed to their father’s death in 2019 after enduring “years of distress trying to pursue answers”.The family of Peter Coates said they had been met with “delays and resistance” from a regional ambulance service as they tried to discover the full circumstances of his final minutes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chris Bryant says policy agreements are being done in bits and pieces but a greater vision is needed by both sidesIt was all smiles and warm handshakes when the two men in charge of renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the EU met in Brussels this week.Maroš Šefčovič and the UK minister for EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, sharing a stage on the third floor of the vast European parliament building, were at pains to show the cross-Channel relationship was in a good place after years of rancour. Continue reading...

Late-night hosts panned Trump’s joke about the 1941 attack, addressed new unredacted Epstein emails and talked popular puppy namesWith The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on hiatus until at least 27 March, late-night hosts on Thursday discussed Donald Trump’s snafu while meeting Japan’s prime minister, his caginess over Iran, and new findings in the Epstein investigations. Continue reading...

Actor who rose to fame after starring in Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon also became a TV fixture with Walker, Texas RangerChuck Norris, the former world karate champion who used his fight prowess to become the star of a string of low-budget but financially successful action movies, has died aged 86.His family posted a message on social media saying Norris had died on Thursday, adding: “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.” Continue reading...